A moment The monster is awake
by mygiu
Summary: So this is a scene based loosely on the press release for the season finale. This is probably waaay off, but I indulged myself. What could happen if Danny were to get back with his ex-wife, and Mindy was about to travel with Casey? What if they just lost it seeing each other with somebody else? What if there's unlamplikefeelings, and they are mutual? Uh-oh.
1. Chapter 1

**°DISCLAIMER°****:**

**Hi guys! I apologize for some initial mistakes on my first published notes. I work on the typos and some tweaks ****(like the separating lines between scenes, etc) **once they are published.

**Just a clarification about my writing though: My style of writing switches, but it is mainly directed by the fact that I am a graduated scriptwriter. Hence, I write the dialogues, plot and comments as such. I might change on some stories for fun (or do inner dialogues like Chapter no.2 here), but you should know upfront this is generally my writing style! Hope you enjoy it or... endure it? Hahaha. Thanks for taking the time to read this and my stories! Thank you!**

Mindy is in Danny's bathroom washing her face, trying to freshen up. She shouldn't have had that many glasses of wine. She became easily irritated, and tonight was the worst night to be drunk. On the other hand, having that Medusa woman, that creepy sexy elegant cheater myth was unbearable. She could not believe Danny was falling for it all over again. And she didn't know why it bothered her so much. She was very protective of her friends, that was a given. But there was an annoyance beyond any level with this situation. And then Danny was being such a prick about her trip! She just had to pull away from the crowd. She had to think. And this luxurious bathroom helped her quite a bit. She still remembered the last time she was in here, making fun of Danny's hygiene. She smiled to herself.

Suddenly Danny walked in– not from the hallway door (which she had locked) but from his bedroom entrance – and shut the door.

M: Hey! A little privacy Castellano. The lady has some issues to attend to!

Danny looks furious, and a little tipsy too.

D: I just had to get away from Mr. Superstar…

M: Hey! Rude!

D: No, I'm actually polite. But I'm sick of it, really. This is my house! Why do I have to endure him?

M: Uhm, _because you invited us?_

D: I invited you. Not him.

M: Uh, not true. Actually, you didn't even invite me. Your wife invited him and me both. Because he is my boyfriend, remember? And we are going away to help humanity

D (beside himself): Why are you even doing this?

M: What do you mean?

D: I mean leaving like this, on this "mission" or whatever

M (altruist): I'm trying to be a better person Danny. You guys say I should be a more caring person! Well, there you go. Nothing better than Haiti! Wyclef Jean would be so proud of me!

D: This isn't you. Look, I'm not saying helping others is a goal you shouldn't achieve, but this isn't you. Why are trying so hard? Why do you have to change for this guy?

M: Whoa. Excuse me? No I am not! And since we are talking about this… Why did you un-evolve and became little she-devil's bitch again? That's not you either Castellano.

D: What? That is different. She is my wife.

M: No its not. And she WAS your wife. You know? You seemed to be this tough, serious, level headed guy. And yet she has made you… a dot.

D: A dot?

M: A dot

D: I'm not a frigging dot, okay? I am a man! And don't change the subject okay?.

M: Why are you so worried anyway?

D: I'm not worried. I'm just pissed off at you. Why cant you just be _you_ and be liked for who you are?

M: Please! That doesn't even exist, Danny. We all change to fit the ones we are with

D: Not necessarily

M: Oh really? Remember all the drama we've been through this year with the people we have dated? It happened because honesty _sucks_. Examples? Eye-patch: Thought you were mean. Tom? Left me upon knowing my real womb age. Those freaky friends slash lovers? Left us for each other!

D: That doesn't qualify as…

M (shutting him up): Whatever, shush. The point is, I think you know that in order to survive a relationship you have to put on a show. We all do… After all, who could like me for just being me?!

Silence falls in the bathroom. Danny stares intensely at her, almost like making up his mind whether to speak or not.

M (disappointed) : You see? Not one soul would… Danny, Danny what are you doing?

Danny takes Mindy's hand and leads her to the shower. They are in that tiny corner once again, like the previous party. Mindy is about to open her mouth with more questions.

M: What…

D: Hear this now, and hear it well, because I won't repeat it and I will deny I ever said it… (He clears his throat. A beat) "The best love is the one that makes you a better person, without changing you into someone other than yourself."

M: What?

D: You heard me. I won't say it again

M: Where did you even get that from man?

D: I don't know, I don't remember. Maybe some fortune cookie… the point is, it's true.

M: Yeah, it is true. I am a better person because of Casey.

D (frustrated): No you are not! You're… changing!

M: Again Danny, you preach a lot for someone who likes to act like a doormat for his cheating ex wife!

Silence falls between them and Mindy knows she has crossed the line, reached rock bottom. That wasn't a fair comment, that wasn't even below the belt… that was right in the gut, or more like right in the heart.

M: Oh… wait. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that.

D: Yes you did.

M: No, I didn't, really.

They look at each other for a second, with a mix of fury and pain and regret. Then Mindy leans in unconsciously. Danny doesn't flinch, still trapped in her gaze. She finally gathers herself with enough courage and calmness to brush her lips against his. Then she kisses him, full on the lips, but very softly. Almost tip toeing around it. He pulls away and Mindy looks like she has had a heart attack. She can't stop looking at him. Danny looks freaked out as well.

D (out of breath): What… was that?

M (hyperventilating): Ohhh god. Oh god. I didn't even know… why did I do that? Okay, oh lord… I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry! Oh please, oh no… ignore me please while I go die like the awful sinner I am.

D: Okay, this is weird. And yeah so… I should get back there… (pointing towards the door)

M (clenching his arm): Oh no, don't leave now. Because, you see, you have to know that was stupid. Really just, stupid. I just thought there was a… _moment_. And clearly, CLEARLY, there wasn't. Like, gross! (she lets go of her arm like she has been burnt)

D (rubbing the back of his neck): Hey, no worries. Look, I don't want to fight anymore anyway so.. It's okay, really. I just think… you know… I like you, Mindy. For who you are. Don't change. You don't need to.

Mindy calms down and nods sheepishly.

M: Okay, I should go first I guess. Given this is you house I have less alibis for taking so long in the bathroom.

D: Yeah, right.

M: Okay, I'm sorry. See you in there. I mean, the party. See you at the party. Later. See you later. (mumbling to herself) Ugh. Stupid…

Mindy starts to leave the nook, but Danny grabs her hand. She looks at their hands, puzzled. Then he hugs her, a bit awkwardly.

D: Have a safe trip Min. Don't go die on us, okay?

M: Yeah… Thank you for the party. For real. I'll miss you guys.

As they part from their embrace, their mouths are once again centimeters from each other. The 4 second rule of body contact is definitely over and they are still too close for comfort. They lock eyes again.

A deep breath and Danny can't control his actions anymore. That sad beautiful face looking back at him is suddenly all he's ever wanted. Out of nowhere there's a kiss, a bit more deeply this time, and their breaths become agitated. Their hands are still clasped. Within seconds they pull apart with the same "in awe" expression.

They are getting it just now. _They didn't know_.

They didn't know it could be this way, and be mutual…

Suddenly, Christina calls his name from the hall. They both look at the door, alert.

D: I have to go

M: Yeah, me too

They walk to the bathroom door, and notice their hands still together. Slowly they fall apart, and they each go through a separate door without looking back, but knowing everything has changed. The monster is awake.


	2. Chapter 2

Now he'd got her thinking she was a bad person. A _sinner_, of all things!

And then it hit her: _he had done it on purpose_. There were no "unlamplike" feelings behind that kiss, it was merely a strategy! He had done this so carefully it might have gone unnoticed, but not for her, oh no. She knew exactly what his plan was.

Mindy - trying to reach a higher stage of selflessness - was on her best behavior since dating Casey. The trip to Haiti was the ultimate proof that she was deserving of this amazing man, and that she had come a long way since the one-night stands with Jeremy, or drunkenly crashing bikes into pools in the middle of the night.

She was feeling proud of herself those last couple of days: she had canceled one of her gossip magazine subscriptions (okay, she was still receiving another 2 in her house, plus the magazines in the office, but whatever), she had been brutally attacked in a prison and hadn't made a fuss about it (if you don't count crying and threatening her hairdresser for thicker extensions), and she had gone from watching "Freaky Friday" to "Salmon fishing in Yemen" (much more "political", she thought). She knew, as did Danny, that in order to remain Casey's girlfriend, she had to do a lot of soul searching and be the ultimate Good Samaritan.

But then there was that party. And the jealousy and those stealing glances from Danny that made her weak at the knees (god knows why!). She had convinced herself it was the alcohol speaking, and also the fact that with a little imagination he could resemble a young hot Al Pacino. But the conversation in the bathroom had clouded her judgment really bad. She was even naïve enough to think that kiss with Danny had meant something to him.

But the truth was, and now she fully understood, that Mr. Italian Christianity himself had corrupted her with that kiss! That tingling, warm sensation still dancing around on her bottom lip and the tip of her fingers was the brand of the devil himself.

Her conscience was eating away at her now (and to be honest, her horniness too). But that had been the plan all along: she had sinned - willingly or not - and now she was scum again. She was back at the starting point. Down, way down in the human scale of decency, and that bothered the heck out of her. Danny knew she wouldn't be able to lie to Casey, and put that kiss behind her, and go to Haiti to pretend she was a glamorous Mother Teresa. That bastard!

He was set on his opinion that she was making a mistake, and that she wasn't good enough for Haiti, or Casey, or anything that might bring her redemption. He wanted to drag her down to his level, the "sad loser" level. Okay, maybe that was a little harsh. But he was so stubborn that he was willing to go and mess up his life too and kiss her and confuse her, just so he could prove a point.

But he was a Catholic, how could he? Must be that mob blood running through his veins, she thought. He's a gangster, he can't help it. Why go so far though? ... Why did he care so much? … Mindy couldn't help blushing at this question.

Would he be able to go on with Christina now that he was a cheater too? She knew that he knew it was bad, and that now Mindy had the power to break them up if she only spoke the truth. Of course it would backfire on her too, but at this point there was no way of getting out of this situation without getting her hands dirty.

Unless she kept silent about everything. Okay, she needed to do that. Lying by omission, they call it, but maybe it was better than being single again, and maybe it was better than breaking Danny's heart. Why did _she_ care so much too? He had damaged her, and yet she still couldn't bring herself to hurt him...

Mindy wasn't too happy about this alternative, but it seemed like the right choice. Yeah, she would do that.

**CUT...**

Now she'd got him thinking he was a prick. A prick, of all things!

He, the poor victim of betrayal by women who loved him and left him, was now a cheater. Why had she done that? Why had she brushed her soft, full lips against his and made him fuzzy? Why had she come to the party with that tight dress and that cleavage that made him uneasy (and a little bit hard below)?.

Christina had invited them, true, but he never thought she would attend. He had witnessed the tension between the two women, and had concluded that either they were going to catfight it off, or just ignore each other. He evidently didn't know anything about women. Except how much fucking power they had over him, specially these two.

He wasn't even sure what he was doing living with Christina again. They were trying to sort things out, but the thing was this: he knew he couldn't fully forgive her. He also couldn't fully let her go. So he was stuck there, feeling like he had been handed a card of redemption, a do-over, and yet he wasn't sure if that was what he wanted. He had longed for Christina to come back to him for several months. He had dreams and fantasies about her begging and crawling her way back to him. He had waited for her at some point, sabotaging all his other relationships, thinking that until he had her back he wouldn't feel complete again. But the fucked up thing was that, now he sort of "had" her, he felt more incomplete than ever. He was empty, and confused, and still quite a bit angry at her (and at him to for taking her back so easily).

He had this idea of what a man should be, and endure, and let go of. And it turns out it was a load of crap. He had tried to be Clint Eastwood, yet he felt as stupid as Matt Damon on the Ocean's 13, or 19 or whatever movie. He was fooled time and time again, and all he could do was watch as this one tiny blonde ruin his life over and over.

And then there was Mindy, and that bathroom, and their bodies so close he had had a hard time not plunging himself on top of her (in a way, to shake her off this goodie two-shoe attitude and, in another way, to rip her clothes off). Mindy didn't make him feel like a fool, but she definitely made him weak. Her words affected him more than he cared to show ("a doormat" she had called him. Ouch.), and her silly little rambles and quirks ignited a fury in him that could only be described as passion. He would have never imagined her being the first of the two to give in to these "unlamplike" feelings. It caught him SO off guard, that leaning in, her mouth on his mouth, those breasts pressed against him... _Shit Danny, down boy. Get yourself together. _

And now he was a cheater twice. Because no, little shithead couldn't leave it at that, and had to go on and kiss her and confuse her and, to sum up, fuck things up BIG time. _Man up, Castellano. I can't believe you did this to yourself. You swore on your mother's grave that you would never EVER be a cheater. And now look at yourself, Mr. Scumbag._

This whole thing was so annoying, and he had not only messed himself up, but he had dragged Mindy into his "sad loser" level. Would she still go to Haiti after this? Would she go to Christina and turn him in? Or would she come to him, wanting more? He grinned at this mental picture for a second. Truth is he hadn't meant for any of this to happen. Okay, maybe this moment they'd had was a leftover from that Santa Fe trip, before things got so complicated (He could still reenact that hand-holding sequence in his head like it was yesterday). However, the bottom line was that _she_ had made _him_ a cheater. She had initiated this whole thing. SHE had grabbed his hand in the plane. SHE had leaned in. SHE had kissed him. _Good, Castellano, make up excuses, like you are a frigging saint. Jesus!..._

He would not be able to turn her in to Casey, though. He didn't know why. The girl had damaged him so bad, and yet he couldn't bring himself to hurt her. He secretly wished she would stay, although he knew this would mean the end of himself and Christina (his conscience would surely burn if he repeatedly saw Mindy and Christina in the same room, and he wouldn't be able to stand it). Maybe he shouldn't do anything. Maybe the only way out of this situation was to say nothing and do nothing and just let things order themselves. Mindy would go away for a while, and that would give him time to think. Christina would stay, and they would try to see if there was a shot at rekindling things. Danny wasn't too happy with this alternative, but it seemed right. Yeah, he would do that.

**CUT...**

It's Monday morning. Danny enters the elevator, longing for this few seconds of solitude before entering the now Mindy-less office. He has to put on a show, like she had said. He can't let anyone see through it. Just when the doors are closing in, a hand stops them from touching.

_It's Mindy Lahiri._

They look at each other. A beat. Then she enters the elevator. They stand side by side, looking at the ceiling in total silence.

D: So…

M: I didn't go Danny. He did. It's over. Drop it.

D: I'm sorry.

After a second of silence goes by he says:

D: You look nice.

M (acting disgusted): _Shut up_

They are about to get off the elevator, but she presses a button and the doors halt to a stop. Mindy turns back to him, poking a finger in his ribs.

M: That _thing_ Castellano? It NEVER happened, okay?

D (playing along and holding his hands up, like surrendering): Don't even know what you're talking about.

Mindy opens the door and they both head into the office. The crew welcomes them eagerly, surprised by Mindy's presence. Just when she is about to close her office door she overhears a rather loud conversation between Danny and Morgan.

Morgan: So, Dr. C, how's the wife?

D: Wouldn't know Morgan, since I'm not married.

Morgan: But what about Chris…?

D: Nah, that could have never happened. (a little louder and looking over his shoulder) _She's gone._

Mindy quietly shuts the door of her office, with pursed lips that could easily become a smile at any second.


End file.
